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Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Tonight is the night! Wow, I am loving all of the enthusiasm over this release, thank you all so much for your comments and emails. I enjoy reading every one of them, and am still in awe over seeing my illustrations being used around the globe...around the globe! Wow. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

On with the full reveal, it is my pleasure to introduce the newest additions to the Wplus9 Design Studio. All sets will be available for purchase on Wednesday, December 1st at www.wplus9.com.

Sweet Nothings

Details

Would you like to win both sets? Leave a comment, letting us know what your favorite Christmas/Holiday tradition is by 11:59 pm EST November 30th, and I will pick one random winner! Winners will be posted here, be sure to check to see if you've won.

Thanks so much for joining us for another release, we will be back tomorrow for Group Post Day.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Welcome to Day 2 of the Wplus9 December 2010 Release! For those of you joining us for the first time, we will spend the next couple of days giving you some peeks at projects using the stamps from this month's release. All sets will be available for purchase at www.wplus9.com on December 1st.

You've been requesting more sentiment sets, and I've been listening. Today I am pleased to introduce to you "Sweet Nothings".

Sweet Nothings

is a 4x6 clear photopolymer stamp set

contains 11 stamps; 8 sentiments and 3 accent images

will be available for purchase December 1st for just $10

This set is just that...sweet. Each of the eight sentiments are centered around the words "love", "joy", "believe", or "hope", each in my own handwriting. A great set for those everyday and just because cards, you'll be sure to get a lot of use out of it.

To start, I stamped the large Gardenia and leaf outline onto vellum and embossed with white detail embossing powder (Stampendous). I then used some Tim Holtz distress inks in Marmalade and Peeled Paint and added ink using a blending tool. To blend the colors I just dipped my finger in water and rubbed over the inked areas. I absolutely love the way this turned out.

Such a simple card, but it makes me happy, so I thought the sentiment was appropriate.

Next up, I've been really yearning to try the whole shabby chic thing. Now if you follow me, you know it's just not really my style. Maybe that is why I am so determined to create a shabby chic card that I am happy with. LOL

And...I think it's a winner. I paired the "believe" sentiment with the Woodgrain Silhouette Bundle. I started by stamping several of the leaves onto the bottom of a Rustic White card (Papertrey Ink) in Spring Moss(Papertrey Ink) and Old Olive (Stampin' Up!). I added some butterflies in Lilac (Momento) and a Fine Linen panel stamped with the woodgrain background from Woodgrain Silhouettes.

For the focal point. I stamped the Crocus image in lilac and matted it with a scallop die (Spellbinders). I layered the "believe" sentiment directly over the flowers. To finish the "shabby chic" look, I used a dry paint brush and some white acrylic paint and brushed all around the edges. I love everything about this card, the sentiment with those crocus, the color combo, the composition. Swoon.

And last, a peek at one of the "hope" sentiments.

To create this background, I used a bunch of distress inks, and different stamps. I started by stamping the music score background stamp (Hero Arts) in Antique Linen (Ranger). To get the mottled background I used my blending tool with Walnut Stain, Broken China, Antique Linen, and Peeled Paint to add different areas of color to the background. I added a bunch of random images from Damask Frames, Woodgrain Silhouettes Additions, and All Occasion Tags.

A Spellbinder's label, my sentiment, and some seam binding finishes this one off.

Want to see more? Stop by to see what some of the Design Team has been up to:

Want to win "Sweet Nothings"? Leave a comment by 11:59 pm EST November 29th and I will pick 1 random winner from the comments to win "Sweet Nothings". Winners will be posted here, be sure to check to see if you've won. I'll be back tomorrow with the full reveal and another chance to win! Thanks for joining us and hope to see you tomorrow!

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Welcome to Day 1 of the Wplus9 December 2010 Release! For those of you joining us for the first time, we will spend the next couple of days giving you some peeks at projects using the stamps from this month's release. All sets will be available for purchase at www.wplus9.com on December 1st.

We are introducing 2 new stamps sets this month. And both are sure to be a hit! First up, So 80's, is a set that I am personally in love with. It is different from anything I've seen out there.

This set is so much fun. It has a definite 80's pop art vibe and is a perfect set for really exploring your artsy creative side.

For my first card, I chose a vibrant colored patterned paper and used several of the images included in the set. I started by stamping one of the color half-tone background images onto white card base in red and added a scattering of stars also in red. I then stamped the "Awesome" sentiment in black on a 3.75" circle cut from transparency. I cut a 3.5" circle from the middle of my patterned paper, adhered the transparency to the backside and adhered the whole thing to the card base. I LOVE the font in this set, so fun and great for guys, kids, girls, and teens.

To finish this card, I added the "hope your day is" sentiment and a star, all included in the set.

For my next card, I used the same patterned paper, but wanted to show you another option for this set. These sentiments are perfect for masking. The font used, and large scale, make it a cinch to trim out. Here is a quick tip: Stamp each of the large sentiments onto a post it. Trim them out and store them on the back side of your stamp set. Now you have a set of masks that you can use over and over again.

Here, I stamped the "Rock" sentiment first. Then layed down my mask and stamped over it with the grungy paint stroke background accent from the set.

I added some circles with more patterned paper, inked all of the edges and added some white dashed lines. In the background I used another color half-tone image and stamped it randomly so that it would peek out from behind the patterned paper.

This one happens to be both of my boys favorite...so definitely a hit with the boys.

My last project today, is probably my favorite. I can see myself using this a lot for my friends, both guys and girls.

How much fun is that?! Paired with the other sentiments, there are a ton of occasions you can use this for. I started by stamping the paint stroke in Versamark onto pink cardstock and embossing with clear powder. I then used some Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Black Soot and sponged all over my tag. The embossed area resists the ink. I added some color half-tone patterns in white. To finish the background I added just a few stars.

To finish, I added the "Kick Ass" sentiment, paired with the "your so" sentiment and the star. This time I trimmed out "Kick Ass" and split it onto two separate lines. Love it!

Want to see more? Stop by to see what some of the Design Team has been up to:

Want to win "So 80's"? Leave a comment by 11:59 pm EST November 28th and I will pick 1 random winner from the comments to win "So 80's". Winners will be posted here, be sure to check to see if you've won. I'll be back tomorrow with a new set and another chance to win! Thanks for joining us and hope to see you tomorrow!

Friday, November 19, 2010

It's time for another All Eyes On...! And this month, we are focusing on my new obsession, distressing inks. I used Tim Holtz Distress Inks by Ranger, I absolutely LOVE these inks.

For today's project, I wanted to share my new favorite way to color images. I just love combining my Copics with these inks! The results are absolutely gorgeous.

And...I decided to create a little video to share the process with you. Ugh, hearing yourself on video is almost as bad as seeing yourself on video. LOL So please excuse the rambling, and the multiple "so"-s, apparently I was nervous. Sorry the quality is not the best, the camera is supposed to be HD, but maybe I didn't have enough light. Enjoy!

Be sure to visit the rest of the design team to see what they've created using distress inks.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Here is the inspiration photo for my colors. I used Kraft, Real Red (Stampin' Up!), and Plum Pudding (Papertrey Ink).

This month we have a treat for you. Each Design Team Member has also created their own personal color combos. You can pick one or play along with them all. Be sure to visit each of their blogs to see their samples and color equivalents by clicking on the appropriate color swatch.

Elise Durenberger

Hannah Craner

Jinny Newlin

Kerrianne Gwin

Maile Belles

Savitri Wilder

Details

Create a card, scrapbook page, digital layout, tag, whatever...just make sure to use the colors noted in the graphic. As always, black and white are allowed for neutrality and balance.

Deadline

You have until December 7th at 10:59 pm EST to play along. You will know the deadline has passed when the link to add your project is no longer available.

Bonus

If you have Wplus9 stamps in your stash, now would be the time to bust them out. I will be collecting lucky participants to feature as "On Cue with Color" here on the blog and at The Studio. If you don't have any yet...don't worry I still want to be inspired by you and you will still be featured here on the blog!

Friday, November 12, 2010

Hey hey! It's Day 5 of Release Week. I have some bonus samples to show you...but unfortunately my computer has been holding them hostage! But, a successful recon mission has rescued them, and I will share them very soon. In the meantime. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your support and enthusiasm. The crafting community is really the best community of people, and I am so thrilled to be a part of it.

Winners for Days 1-4 have been posted here. Be sure to see if it's you, if you have not already.

And, because "Season of Giving" is upon us, and I am feeling very generous, I wanted to pick one more random winner from all comments to win the entire November release.

Christina who said:What a great, timeless set! I love the fonts, too! I can't wait to try that Copic blender pen + ink technique. Thanks for the lesson!

Congratulations Christina! Contact me at dawn@wplus9.com with your address so I can get it into the mail for you!

Thanks again for joining us this month. I hope to continue bringing you new sets every month. I would love to grow and eventually offer a wider range of products. So if you love Wplus9, please spread the word.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Good Morning all! It's day 4 of Release Week for all of those keeping count. If you've missed the previous posts, be sure to check them out. We have been having a blast showing you just some of the ways you can use the stamps released this month.>

Are you ready for some "Homemade Holidays"? Today I asked the ladies to create (or buy) a treat and dress it up for holiday gift giving using the Homemade Holiday Bundle designed by the lovely and talented Hannah Craner.

OK, so I have warmed up much more to baking and cooking with age. There is actually a 9 or so year old joke running between my husband and I. One day early in our marriage he tells me about this "Cookie Party" that a co-worker of his is having and how she mentioned that I should come. You bake 2 dozen cookies and take them to this "party" and you all swap so you end up with 2 dozen mixed cookies. To which I responded, "Who do I look like, Betty Crocker?". Now I think this actually sounds like fun, but when I was 23 or so, it didn't sound like much of a "party" to me. LOL Now you may find the humor in my project below.

From The Kitchen Of: Betty Crocker. Ha! So every Thanksgiving it is my duty to bring my famous "Candied Pecans". (a recipe given to me years ago by my dear friend after I swore to never tell) I thought it would be a great idea to box up little individual portions and include a "knock-off" recipe card with them. This way they can have them anytime of the year they want...just not quite as good. But this recipe is very similar to what I create every year.

I used All Occassion Tags to dress up the Kraft box (Martha Stewart) and From The Kitchen Of to create the recipe card. One of the really great things about this recipe set is that because all of the pieces are separate, you can set up your recipe cards horizontally or vertically. Here I set mine up vertically and kept it one layer so the recipient can store it with the rest of their recipes. As usual, simple...but not short on style.

Check out what the rest of the team has been up to. Just click on the pics or names to visit their blogs and see their entire project.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

It's Day 3 of November Release Week! If you are just joining us, we are spending all week getting down with design and celebrating in style with our newest stamp sets. All sets are currently available for purchase at www.wplus9.com

Today I have the honor of introducing our very own Hannah Craner's debut. We are so happy to have the very talented Hannah contributing to our fabulous line of stamps! And she does not dissapoint, with not one incredible set, but two!

Both of these sets fill a void in my stash and they are fantastic. But they are even better together, so they are also available as the Homemade Holiday Bundle for just $33!

I am so excited to show you today's project. I'll be focusing on All Occasion Tags. I am having so much fun with this set.

I created this gorgeous little set of matching tags and cards. I absolutely love how these turned out. And you will be blown away by how simple it is to create. The card is a 4x4" Kraft card base inked all around the edges with white craft ink. The sentiment is from RetroGirly Christmas, heat embossed with white detail embossing powder. Here is a close up of the cards.

Now the focal image is really the star of these cards. I used the same technique for the focal image as I did for the background on the tags. So here's how I did it. Nothing too special, but the results definitely have that "wow factor".

I started by stamping the tag outline with Versamark and heat embossing with White Pearl embossing powder (Stampendous). Then I came back in and stamped the snowflake with Versamark and again heat embossed them with White Pearl. I think this is seriously my favorite snowflake silhouette ever. Now here's the magic...a little bit of emboss resist.

I have recently discovered Ranger's Distress Inks and can not get enough of them. Here I used Broken China and a blender tool to apply ink all over the tag. I varied the amount of ink and pressure. Once it was all covered, I wiped off the embossed areas with a damp paper towel to remove any excess ink.

For the center of the tags, I stamped the circle tag image and snowflake and punched them out with a 1.25" punch. Here they are all assembled.

And here's one last shot all together.

With all of the images in this set, just think of all of the occasions you could reuse this layout for!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Welcome back to Day 2 of November 2010 Release Week. I am so happy to hear how excited you guys are about the new sets. I love reading all of your comments. Remember everything is currently available at The Studio.

Today, I am happy to formally introduce you to Kerriane's newest addition to the family, RetroGirly Christmas.

Details

These adorable images are both cute and sophisticated. I'm usually not one to turn to the cute and fun style, but this set makes it super easy for me to tackle. And I mean, come on...who can resist that sassy little thing? At just $6 it's a steal.

First up, I went for a classic retro vibe circa 1950. The Thrift Shop Collection was a perfect fit.

I used Copics to color her and paper pieced her shopping bags. Not much else was needed to finish this one. I just love the pops of red.

Next up a quick and festive gift tag. I started with my current favorite tag base, a label from Spellbinders, and stamped my background using Design Basics: Backgrounds I and Versamark.

I stamped the holly leaves in Versafine Midnight Black and colored them with Copics. I punched them out using a 1.5" circle punch and matted it with one of those trendy accordion folded medallion. For that little extra something, I added some Glossy Accents to the berries. For balance, I added a thin strip of red with white dashed lines to compliment the saddle stitched ribbon at the top. A great traditional holiday tag.

For my last card, I just had to return to my shopping buddy. The holidays are all about mass production here, so with that in mind I came up with an easy and inexpensive layout to create cards for all of my girlfriends.

I just love paper piecing those bags! Don't you wish all shopping bags had such fabulous patterns?! Since the layout was so simple for this card, I wanted to add a few little details that can make a huge difference. I popped the bags on dimensionals, used a N1 Copic to outline the whole image, and added some inking around the edges of my focal panel. All of these little things help to add interest and depth without the added bulk or expense. Win, win.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

It's here, it's finally here! The long awaited Wplus9 November Release. Thank you all so much for your patience and we hope not to disappoint. We have 4 new stamp sets, 2 of which are illustrated by our very own Hannah Craner! You do not want to miss these gems, they are a must have for pulling together any holiday treats.

We are changing things up a bit this release and would love to hear your feedback. For those of us that just can't wait, our entire release is currently available for purchase at The Studio. If you haven't seen it yet, head on over and check everything out. Then be sure to join us here all week long as we get down with design and show you what these babies are made of!

Today we are starting with my contribution this month. Love, love, love this set. Now there are quite a few great ornament sets on the market. But not one combined everything I was looking for. Classic clean lines, both solid and linear images and big bold sentiments. Thus...a Classic Christmas was born.

Details

This set is perfect for mass production. I love that the large ornaments can be used as a single focal point on a card and they are large enough to adorn your layouts. For my first card I started with the "MAY YOUR HOLIDAYS sparkle AND shine" sentiment. So of course my ornament had to sparkle! I started by die cutting a piece of transparency with a Spellbinders label and stamping the ornament, string and sentiment using white StayzOn.

Gasp! I know, I know...no StayzOn with clear stamps. I figure as long as I don't make it a habit, it won't hurt. Finger's crossed. ;o) Now, my new favorite coloring technique. I am not great at coloring large images with Copics. OK...I'm not even good at it. I have discovered a new love that is perfect for me and the Copic challenged. Ranger Distress Inks paired with your Copic markers. First I stamped the image using Broken China Distress Ink. Then, using my blending tool and with more Broken China ink, I filled in the image for my base color. I started on the edges and left it lighter in the middle to create the bulbous illusion for the ornament.

I know, it looks hideous at this point. But trust me, it gets better. Once you have the desired base color, come in with your matching Copic markers and your blender pen to add shade. The blender pen is important to use all over the color you've layed down to eliminate any hard lines. It makes it blend beautifully.

Looking better, huh? Instant depth and it's soft, and has some texture to boot. Now just trim the whole thing out and hit it all around the edges with your ink and blending tool to eliminate the white edge. This looks amazing on flowers! I'll have something to show you a little later on that. To finish this ornament I had to add some sparkle, right! So, I used a Martha Stewart glue pen to add some glitter along all of the lines in the ornament, and attached it to my transparency label.

I adhered it all to a black card base. I love the contradiction of glitter with the clean black base. Playful and serious.

This next one just makes my feel cozy and comfortable. I used the all three of the solid ornaments for this one. I arranged all three ornaments on my panel first and then picked them all up together with my acrylic block. This way I could stamp this all at once and make sure they were centered.

To create a visual frame of space all around the edge, I layed a post it note down to mask the top edge with stamping my strings. Notice the strings on the two ornaments on the left? I flipped the stamp with the bow and used the top of the image without the bow instead. Those little snowflakes in the background are from Hannah's set All Occasion Tags. I'll show you more of those later this week. ;o)

This last one is probably my favorite. It is crazy simple, but I love the colors. They remind me of a Victorian Christmas, but the ornament has a modern twist. Love it.

To create that soft water color feel, I first stamped the image onto some vellum and heat embossed it using detail white powder (Stampendous). Then I stamped some Tattered Rose Distress Ink onto some wax paper and spritz it with just a tad bit of water. Using a small paint brush, I mixed it and applied it to the entire bulb. Now, to get the darker edges, I used Fired Brick! Yep...no where near the same color, right? Well, using the same technique, but adding more water, I was able to dilute the color to something suitable to compliment the lighter rose color. I just hit it around the edges and then used my finger to blend it together. Voila!

The great thing about this set, is the 4 sentiments work together to finish off your card inside and out. I added my sentiment to the inside along with some more of those cute little snowflakes to finish this card off.

There is so much fun to be had with this set. Whether you are looking to make a bunch of cards fast (but stylish) or you want to take your time and create truly one of a kind masterpieces, this is that set.

Are you enjoying thus far? Want to win Classic Christmas? Leave a comment by Monday November 8th, 11:59 pm EST and I will pick a random winner.

Be sure to come back tomorrow to see more of this month's release in action!